


drowning

by rottenstrawberrymilk



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, Corruption, Desk Sex, Explicit Language, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hallucinations, Hyperion, Jealousy, Mental Breakdown, Murder, NSFW, Pet Names, Possessive Behavior, Power Imbalance, Slow Burn, Smut, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:27:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22888429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rottenstrawberrymilk/pseuds/rottenstrawberrymilk
Summary: handsome jack x reader one shot nsfw
Relationships: Handsome Jack (Borderlands)/Reader, Handsome Jack (Borderlands)/You
Comments: 8
Kudos: 137





	drowning

Years before you'd worked alongside the now terrifying CEO of Hyperion. John--er Jack, now--had changed. You hadn't. You'd always been somewhat stagnant. You didn't want to change. You saw what happened to him and you never wanted that to happen to you. The new version of Jack was lackluster to you. Obviously, you had no right to think that--you hadn't spoken to him in years, not since he'd gotten promoted from his old position. It was hard to believe but the son of a bitch had humble beginnings. 

He'd been a lab rat. Just like you. You didn't know whether nowadays, when he was sitting in his gold lined, luxury office, staring out into the stars, if he ever thought about it. If he ever remembered you. 

Still, the point was he used to be equal to you. You liked him better when he was a lab rat, when he didn't have all that power. It was so fucking cliche of you to say but power truly and honestly did change him. From what you'd heard from his constant messages over the intercom, most of which were pre-recorded to "increase work ethic", he still had that same charm to him. Back then he was still funny and charming. He wasn't overly sweet or nice, but he had a bit of spice to him that seemed to liven up the downstairs of the Hyperion building. He made work interesting. Not to mention the metric ton of flirting he did with anything that had a pulse. Now he had money, power, and guns--and to top it all off Jack had become a homicidal maniac. Not exactly the most attractive. 

You almost wanted to be embarrassed, thinking about all the time you'd spent daydreaming, staring into nothing. You'd known then that he'd been married a few times, so you'd always thought you actually had a chance with him. You'd never pursue it--your idea of him and you together...it was just that. A daydream. But then he'd flirt with you and you'd think that just for a second, maybe...just maybe. Then you realized the reality was Jack had flirted with everyone back in the day. 

As he'd risen in the ranks through methods you didn't want to think about, you hadn't just hung back feeling sorry for yourself, dreaming of what you wanted to be. You'd done a bit of rising yourself, right into sales--through hard work rather than Jack's preferred delightful method...Murder! It still didn't sit right with you, no matter how you tried to spin it. Jack was a murderer now. He'd killed to get where he'd been. He'd held a gun to someone's head and had taken their life. You wanted to think it was necessary so you wouldn't have to know that you'd been friends with someone with a capacity for such awfulness. 

You'd liked to think that your downward spiral after your promotion into a nervous breakdown was not influenced by any of that second hand guilt. You'd spent about a week in a mental hospital trying to recover, telling yourself that. You chose to blame the nervous breakdown on being overworked--God knows the last time you took a personal or sick day. 

Still, you were happy you hadn't been fired over the week you were gone. You were welcomed back about as warmly as Hyperion would welcome any worker. 

As you'd walked back to your desk, you ignored the stares on you. Even with the new promotion into sales, you felt like it was a downgrade. As a lab rat, you didn't have to dress all that well considering no one ever saw you. Every day was casual and you hadn't realized what you'd lost until it was gone. Now, working in an official office setting meant you had to get a set of heels, wear stockings and skirts and little white blouses. You didn't mind it so much, you just wondered why the discomfort was worth it. But considering the raise in your pay, you could look the other way. 

Working in that office was boring as all hell. Basically all you did was file through paperwork and get it to where it needed to be--usually just another desk halfway across the room. The sales department was like a relatively-okay oiled machine. There was hardly any conversation and it was nothing like working down in the lab with the computers. And there was no Jack. You decided it was good that you didn't have to see him or think of him anymore. Other than when his prerecorded messages blared out of the PA system. 

To your complete horror, you ended up getting summoned to the CEO's office to hand over some reports on the sales of a new model Hyperion weaponry that had just been approved and was ready for release. It was supposed to be some powerful new rifle, but you didn't know or really care enough to find out. What you did know was that some forms needed to be signed, and that was all you really needed to know. As you took the elevator up to the floor his office was situated on, you tried not to over think the situation. 

You read over the pink slip in your hands. It made you nervous to think that Jack might have purposely summoned you. But upon further reading, you found that the slip wasn't even really filled out. It just had his signature on it. It didn't list your name anywhere, which lead you to believe he'd simply summoned whoever happened to have those forms at their desk. 

You handed off the slip to the secretary who let you into his office. The minute you walked in and looked up at him, papers in your arms, he froze up. And even though you'd seen him day after day those few years ago, even though you'd talked to him time and time again, laughed awkwardly when he flirted with you, you froze up too. He seemed surprised, but certainly not upset to see you. Jack leaned back in his seat, putting the pen in his hand to his mouth before clearing his throat suddenly.

"...Hey," Jack said to you. 

You gave him a bit of a smile. "Hey..." 

He sat up straighter. "You can, uh, close the door, have a seat if you want." He cleared his throat again, somewhat awkwardly.

You wondered how long it would take him to start slipping back into the suave, haha-nothing-phases-me attitude he'd seemed to retain even after those years. It was obvious in his messages over the PA system that he still thought the world of himself. You straightened up yourself, realizing that you had just gone silent and was staring at Jack for a good few seconds.

"Oh uh no. I can't stay for long." You approached his desk, leaning over it, and putting the papers down on his desk. You turned the papers to face him and slid them over. "I'm just here to give you some copies of some reports-"

He was staring at your chest, not your face, his fist clenching around the pen and hiding his mouth. It was pretty obvious he was checking you out--and you didn't want to put blame on him for it. The new dress code you had to follow was something new to him and he'd never seen you all dressed up before. You tried to focus. 

"Uhhh, some forms that need finalizing and looking over. By the CEO. You." For the sake of alleviating some of the tension you forced out a bit of an awkward laugh. You stood up straight and took a step away from Jack's desk.

He didn't seem to have listened--or even heard--anything you had just said. He looked up to meet your eyes. "Y'know it's been awhile. We haven't talked much, huh? Ever since my promotion." He was twisting in his chair slightly, going back in forth in an almost sort of hypnotic fashion. 

You laughed again and tucked a strand of your hair back behind your right ear. "Uh yeah. Yeah. It's fine though." 

_It's not fine, I think I miss this._ You intertwined your fingers, pushing your arms out in front of your body and rocking on your feet. Your smile faded for just a half of a second but you knew he saw it.

"I guess you're working innnnnn..." he trailed off, looking you up and down before his brows furrowed. "Uhhhhhhh....."

You quickly answered for him. "Sales. I got a few promotions and, well, one thing kinda lead to another...Let's just say I never planned on sticking around in the lab forever." 

Jack laughed. He gestured out at you, his pen between two of his fingers. Were those rings new? "Yeah, I mean," he let out a breath. "Look at you. Wow." Once again for maybe the third time in a row he looked you over, up and down, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Just. Woow. I mean, you look good. Really good." 

You laughed nervously again and tucked your hair back behind you ears again. You shifted in your heels. You often didn't stand in them for that long. You spent more of your time sitting at your desk. "Yeah. What about you? Are you still..."

"I though you'd never ask, baby." He scooted his chair back like he'd been waiting all his life. He kicked his feet up on the desk, putting them right over top the papers. 

You couldn't help but smile, genuinely. He still wore the exact same shoes. The same sneakers, just a little bit more torn up. Upon seeing you smile, he seemed to be proud of himself. A sort of chill swept over you. You recognized that exact expression--it was the same face he always made when he managed to get you to blush or laugh all those years ago. You were quiet again and realized once again you had gone back into a sort of starstruck daze.

You giggled. "Worn like a true business man, sir-"

Jack cut you off at the speed of light, taking his feet off the desk and standing up. He pointed at you, his brows lowering. "Don't you dare. Call me Jack, baby." 

_There he is. He's back._

You stood there awkwardly for a few more seconds before clearing your throat. "Well uhm, I better get back to my desk. The devil works hard but Hyperion works uh harder." 

"You're damn right it does, cupcake."Jack stood up from his desk and made his way around it, towards you. "Well it was nice seeing you." 

You smiled and nodded, reaching out a hand to shake his. Instead, Jack wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. You let out a soft "oh" and laughed again a bit uncomfortably before hugging him back. You could smell his cologne, obviously new and expensive. Suddenly, he leaned back a bit and you went to bid him goodbye once more. He kissed you and for the smallest moment you let it happen. 

"Oh. Uhm," you finally managed to get out as you pulled away from him. 

Jack didn't seem to get the message. He leaned in again and you quickly put your hands on his chest. You gave him a bit of a push to put distance between him and you. You leaned your head back. You felt his hand suddenly creep to the back of her neck. Was he seriously still trying to come onto you?

"Jack, _JACK_ , wait. Stop. I...I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea here..." 

You untangled yourself from his arms and pulled away. You apologized once again, becoming more and more flustered by the minute. He got that look on his face again and you took the opportunity to back up further. You couldn't even count the number of times the word "sorry" came out of your mouth as you fumbled for the door handle and let yourself out promptly. It took all your willpower not to break away into a sprint once you closed that door. You were sure even if you did, you wouldn't get that far--your heels were killing you.

Silently, you prayed that Jack wouldn't follow after you out. Luckily, the door stayed closed. 

Still, by the time you got back to your desk and finally sat down, you were unable to get back to work. Your head felt foggy and you felt strangely distant. It was once again like you were going back to daydreaming. You swore to God that you spent at least three hours just sitting motionless as the desk, your hand hovering over a paper on the desk. You spent the rest of the day in a complete daze and when you got home the feeling didn't leave you. Even as you headed off to bed Jack was in your mind. 

Just the way he touched you. 

It wasn't a surprise that the next day you were operating on practically no sleep. It was a pain to stay awake on the ride over to the building you worked in. Your first order of business was to head straight to the break room after you punched in. You basically grabbed the biggest mug and topped if off with the strongest coffee there. When your boss came into the break room, you paused, holding the cup tightly. 

"So did you get them signed?" 

She stands there for a second and is like. "Yes. I think. I got the papers to Ja-" you recomposed yourself and cleared the throat. "The CEO." You took a bitter sip of your coffee, your eyes darting to the side. 

"But you need to get them signed _and_ you needed to bring them back. To me. This was no different from any other run I've had you do before, (Y/N)."

You realized you'd forgotten the papers in Jack's office entirely. God if only he hadn't kissed you. You found yourself instantly regretting that thought. How was it possible that you had managed to stay up all night, anxious and confused about what had happened and you still didn't manage to come to a decision on how you felt about _it_ and what it meant? 

You put down your cup of coffee on the counter. "Oh my God I'm so, so sorry. It was an honest mistake. I...I've been off my game a little bit ever since I got back from-" you paused as your boss raised his brows. You swallowed nervously. "Uh never mind."

"How could you have just forgotten those papers in there? It was the only reason you were sent. It was a simple task wasn't it? Is there something more that I'm missing here?" 

You put on the biggest, fakest smile you could. For a second, even though you were tearing up, you considered telling your boss everything. How Jack had come onto you and how you had left so abruptly. But it didn't seem worth it. Everyone knew how Handsome Jack "was". But strangely enough there were never any records of any sort of sexual harassment cases against him. And if the papers ever came through, they usually "disappeared" or were redacted. Chances were if Jack was okay with murder, he was okay with further abusing his power. The last thing you wanted was to piss Jack off. And he was the ultimate power on top of it all. Everyone was beneath him. You could do nothing. And if you tried, you were sure he wouldn't waste a second making you nothing. Even if he kissed you or wanted you, it wasn't beneath him. 

"Look." He let out a heavy breath and pushed his thumb and index finger into the space between his brows. "Hyperion doesn't have time for slip ups like this. Those papers are important and those rifles should have been out by today. Because of your mistake, they're going to be delayed, and our buyers are _not_ going to be pleased about that. Get those papers signed. Get them back here. Today. Or find a new job." 

For a minute, you couldn't breathe. You bit the inside of your cheek before nodding quickly. "Okay, I understand. I'll go right now."

The only thing you wished you could have done differently was bring your coffee with you as you once again trekked back to that same elevator. You leaned against the railing of the shabby interior and crossed your arms. The floor that Jack's office was on was as still and quiet as the day before. The secretary at the desk outside the doors looked up.

"Back again?" she asked in a tone that practically oozed fake cheer. It didn't match the look in her eyes. Was she jealous?

"Oh," you said quickly, not really wanting to talk to her. "I just left some really important papers in there yesterday. My boss sent me to grab them."

Without even blinking, she continued to smile at you. "The CEO is in a meeting right now."

"Well can I come in after?"

Her smile didn't falter. "Well do you have an appointment?" 

"I didn't have one last time and you let me in..." You put your hands on your hips. Lord, you did not have nearly enough hours of sleep to deal with this right now. It was taking all your strength not to snap.

"That's because you had a slip. Jack let you in. _I_ didn't." 

You let out a sigh. "Then would I go about making an appointment?" 

The secretary's brow twitched slightly. "Ohhhh," she said in a very flighty tone. "You won't be able to make one unless you do it twenty four hours in advance. _Sorry_. It's just company policy." 

You bit the inside of your cheek. It was taking a lot not to reach across and slap her across her face. However, you knew it wouldn't get you anywhere and you didn't want to mess up such good make up. "Okay. Twenty four hours. I can do that." _I just gotta dodge my boss until then and get the papers back tomorrow._ "Can I schedule an appointment? With the CEO?"

The receptionist cocked her head to the side, resting her cheek on her hand. "He's booked solid for three weeks."

At that point you were pretty sure you were gonna lose it. You raised your voice slightly. "Look, it won't take more than thirty seconds, please? I really need to get in there-" 

The secretary just continued to smile as your voice grew louder and louder. Apparently at some point you were just straight up yelling at her because the door to Jack's office suddenly opened. The man himself walked out, that big smug grin on his face. Chances were he heard the whole thing and just got off to chicks fighting--over him to be specific. 

"I knew I recognized your voice," he told you. He beckoned you forwards. "Get in here, cupcake, let's chat." 

The only real pleasure you could derive from that moment was the pissed-off expression on the receptionist's face. You raised your eyebrows at her and tilted your head to the side just a fraction--a catty move, yes, but absolutely needed in this moment. The moment was instantly ruined for you (or maybe made better you still weren't actually sure) when Jack put an arm around you and swept you right into his office. 

"I knew you'd come crawling back to me," he told you as he shut the door behind him with his foot and leaned in.

"I-I'm not here for that," you said quickly, ducking out from under his arm.

Jack sighed and went to go sit on the edge of his desk. He tilted his head to the side slightly to look at you, his legs slightly apart as he leaned back.

"Um, Jack..." 

"Yeah?"

"Your belt." You wished your face would stop turning red. 

His belt was open and his shirt wasn't tucked in right. He just grinned at you and went to buckle his belt up. You swallowed with a bit of difficulty. 

"I'm guessing you weren't in a meeting then," you said jokingly, hoping to do anything and everything just to lessen the tension.

"Awww, is that what the receptionist told you? She's so cute when she gets worked up trying to keep me to herself, huh?"

You laughed again, playing with your hands and choosing not to make eye contact with him. "Yeah that receptionist...is really something. It was like she was ready to kill me just to keep me from getting to you. It's like you're-"

You cut yourself off as you looked at Jack. He raised his eyebrows at you and you knew your assumptions had been completely correct. 

"Oh," you said. 

"Ah, don't worry about it too much, sweet cheeks. She's getting a little boring. The whole possessive thing was kinda cute at first but, eh. I'm ready to offer you her position instead. That's why I'm _so_ glad you happened to show up today. Saves me the trouble of 'formally summoning' you and all that bullshit."

"Ohh no, Jack, I'm not here for you. Um, I mean for that." You shook your head. "I left papers here yesterday annnnd, I need them signed and back. Like today." 

Jack looked up for a second, like he was trying to remember. "Right. Those." He waved a hand carelessly. Was he insulted that you weren't here for him or something? "Y'know all paper looks the same to me...maybe you should help me look for them." 

He stood up straighter and pushed away from the desk, approaching you. He tucked his hands into his pockets.

  
"Jack please-" you told him.

"Come onnnn, (Y/N). I miss you. At least come check out the view from this office. Its _nothing_ like those old fucking cubicles we had to work in. Remember those? Day after day, night after night, just hunched over those computers?" 

You let out a short breath. "Yes, I remember, Jack. You made it fun though." You bit the inside of your cheek for a breath second, still keeping your eyes down at the floor. _If he missed me then why has he never made an effort to find me? Did I have to come to him just to remind him? Or..._

"Come on. Just come see. Real quick. Super quick." He held out a hand. You surveyed it for a second before looking up at him and deciding to take it. He lead you over to the windows behind his desk. 

You were jealous for the briefest of moments. While you got to stare at white walls, not unlike those of a mental asylum, all Jack had to do was turn around in his squeaky clean, brand new office chair and look out into an endless expanse of starry space. It took your breath away and you hated it. You hated that he had easily impressed you like this--and he knew it as well. His hand crossed over your back and went to your hip. You didn't shrug away. 

"I always knew I was gonna be something more than just a lab rat. Look at us now." He gave you a squeeze. "Look at how far-" 

After he squeezed you, you snapped back into reality. You had to wrap this up quick. "-you've come. Jack, respectfully, I really don't have time for this. If I don't get those papers I'm going to go back down to those tiny cubicles, or worse, not be a part of this company at all." 

Jack's head turned quickly. He fixed you with a sharp gaze. "What?" he suddenly asked. 

You opened your mouth to tell Jack everything that had happened that morning. You stopped, your breath caught in your throat. _Not worth it. Not worth it._ You'd seen people disappear if Jack had his sights set on them. You've heard plenty of stories about him shooting and killing people for the slightest, little things. That sort of crazy must have just come with the power. It just wasn't worth it. It was your fault anyways you shouldn't have left those papers in Jack's stupid office anyways...The point was you didn't want to be the cause of any more spilt blood. 

You sighed. "Look. Listen, can you..." His full attention was on you. It was unsettling. "Just give me those papers. Signe preferably." 

You turned to face him, crossing your arms over your chest as you looked away from the starry abyss and back to the carpeted floor. Cold spikes seemed to needle into your spine as Jack took your chin between his thumb and forefinger. You looked up at him, unable to say anything. 

"Who. Threatened. To. Fire. You?" he tilted his head slightly, his tone light but his expression dark.

You pushed his hand away, feeling as though you were about to break. "Jack, you can't touch me like that-"

"Who _the fuck_ threatened to fire you?" he repeated. 

You took a deep breath before fighting to keep eye contact with him. Your voice shook a little bit. "Just...give me the papers. Please." There was a bit of a tremble in your hand. 

Jack was quiet for a moment. He just stared at you for a few moments, his hand still frozen near your chin, where you had pushed it away. He took in a breath and exhaled sharply, his shoulders rising and falling abruptly. A slow, fake smile spread onto his face that didn't reach his eyes. There was murder in his eyes, actually. 

"Alright," he finally said. "Fine. Fine. _Fine._ " 

Your brows furrowed slightly with worry. Your heart pounded in your chest, hard. He held up his hands in mock surrender before heading towards the back of his desk again. He reached into an open drawer and pulled out a bunch of crinkled papers. Jack turned around to hand them to you. You grabbed them quickly. There was another tension filled silence.

"I have to go now," you said, choosing to break it before him. 

You turned away from him and headed towards the door.

"What, no good bye kiss?" Jack asked, a hint of his usual smugness creeping back into his voice.

_I can't believe he has the fucking nerve to try and act like that didn't just happen._

Still, out of general politeness and not wanting to give him any sort of a cold shoulder, you forced a laugh. His flirting wasn't amusing anymore and it truly felt like he wasn't just playing around and joking anymore. You once again found yourself thinking about how drastically his new power had changed him. The secretary's glare followed you out of the office door and down the hallway, until you were out of sight and in the elevator. 

When Jack used to flirt with you it had just seemed cute and flattering that a guy like him was showing interest in you and giving you his attention. It made you smile a lot then. But now it didn't feel right anymore. He'd never touched you the way he was trying to touch you now. He had respect for you then. Maybe that was the problem now--he didn't have any respect for you because he was a someone and you were just a cog in his machine. Jack was scary now that he could do anything he wanted. He could make anyone disappear or die openly. There was always a sort of darkness in him, you guessed, it just took years of plotting his bleeding path to power to truly bring it out. 

The elevator doors opened and all you could think about was how when you looked into his eyes not even ten minutes ago, it just didn't look right anymore. 

Your boss was hanging around the copier. A bit exasperatedly, you handed the papers to him. He looked down at them and then back to you. 

"They're in rough shape. I'm sure you didn't receive them like this, did you?"

You narrowed your eyes at him, feeling a flash of hostility. "I'm not responsible for what the CEO does in his office. Can I go back to my desk now?" 

Your boss let out a disappointed sigh. He lowered his voice so he wouldn't attract any attention. "Maybe you should consider packing your things up as well. This isn't your first...incident. Now I know you've only been here a few months in this position, but if you can't handle something as simple as getting papers signed and back on the same day in a...non-mangled shape then..."

Your hands clenched into fists. You wondered if it was worth raising your voice. "This has been my only mistake though in this position." Your voice trembled a bit. "E-Everything else I've done perfectly, I don't understand-"

"Hyperion simply can't afford mistakes."

* * *

Because you hadn't technically been fired the day before, you didn't really know what to do. You showed up on time for your job, found your desk left as it always was. You assumed there'd be an empty box near the desk for her to pack her things into and the time of her exit interview. Instead, there was simply a pink slip.

"Fuck," you muttered under your breath as you picked it up. It looked completely legit. Jack's signature was on it clear as day. 

You knew you had no choice but to go. You'd rather go on your own terms then have Jack send someone to get you. You wished that the pink slip had just been the empty box you were expecting. You prepared yourself mentally to have another fight with the secretary at Jack's office doors as you rode up on the elevator for what felt like the twelve millionth time. 

When you looked up at the desk in front of the office doors, there was no one there. Out of your own curiosity, you ventured closer. The desk was missing everything that had been on it before except for the computer and some pencils. Anything personal like photos or trinkets were cleared out. Your brow furrowed with confusion. What the hell was going on?

Only one man would have the answer for you.

You stormed into Jack's office without even knocking--a bold choice considering what you knew about his day-to-day activities already. Thankfully, he was just sitting at his desk, trying to balance a pencil on his upper lip. It dropped from his face and he looked up at you. Before he could even say a word, you slammed the door shut behind you.

"Jack, I can't keep coming up here. I have a job," was the first thing you told him. 

He pointed at you, his brows raising. "For a second there, you almost didn't. But I gotcha. I got your back." He stood up from the chair and made his way around his desk. Your bit the inside of your cheek as he came closer to you. In a wide gesture he put his hands on your upper arms.

You scoffed. "Jack, what are you talking about?"

"Congratulations, baby! Let's just say you got a well-deserved, and _desperately_ needed promotion. I pulled some strings...and a trigger but that's not the-"

" _What?!"_ you interrupted sharply, your shoulder stiffening beneath Jack's larger hands. 

"You're gonna be my new secretary. And before you worry your pretty little head off, let me just say that it's an easy gig, cupcake. Just pick up the phone whenever anyone calls, say I'm busy-" He grinned at you, clearly not reading the room at all. You couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not anymore. How deluded was he? Or was he still just fucking with you? If this was one of his jokes it wasn't funny anymore...

"Jack, I don't want it," you told him, spacing out each of your words. "What happened to my boss? He wasn't on my floor this morning." You were already suspicious of Jack the minute you hadn't seen your boss while you were punching in. 

Jack began to laugh. He shook you slightly with each inhale. He let out a heavy sigh. "I shot the bastard. For you." His tone lost its luster and his expression darkened. "You think I was just gonna let you walk away from Hyperion--all of this? After all we've been through for this company? We've bled for this damn corporation. We've worked for so much-"

You realized quickly what he was trying to do to you. There was no "we". It was him. It was always Jack. You weren't responsible for the murder he committed. It was about him not you and he was trying to drag you down with him. "No. No. Stop," you suddenly said firmly. "You're manipulating me. I didn't make you do anything-"

"It doesn't matter what you think you made me do or what you don't think you made me do. I still did it for you, pumpkin. You can't change that no matter how hard you try," he told you smugly, his hands rubbing your arms in what he probably imagined was supposed to be a calming, comforting way. You went to pull away from him, but he suddenly grabbed onto you tighter, holding you in place. 

You glared at him. "I'm quitting. I'm not doing this. I'm not taking that promotion. You're not pulling any strings for me. Ever. I'm done, Jack." You struggled to try and pull away from him again. After yanking a bit harder you managed to break free of him. In almost a state of pure disbelief, despite the fury building in you, you laughed, not sure else what you could do. "You know, I thought that when I saw you again after so long, that I'd actually be happy to see you. But I was wrong. I was so wrong. This is so...so..." You clenched your fists and let out a cry of frustration before burying your fingers in your hair and pulling on your roots, hard. " _SO CLICHE_. But you've changed. You're not you. Not anymore I think. And I-I don't want anything to do with you anymore."

To your complete exasperation, none of your words seemed to have reached or impacted Jack. He just seemed very amused--entertained even--by your little pathetic speech. Just the fact that he had the nerve to simply smile at you all smug like that made you feel weak, insane maybe, for bursting out like you had. His lack of any sort of negative reaction disappointed and embarrassed you and your face flushed more than it already was. 

Jack raised his brows. "...Anymore? What's that supposed to even mean?" He laughed.

You could have left just then. You could have thrown your hands up and gone. But he'd pushed you. And you wanted to push back. Some small part of you wanted to make him regret and hurt over you. You wanted him to feel that same longing you'd shoved away and locked away for all those years. And then you wanted to break away from him completely, just to make him feel loss. Just to knock that stupid fucking smirk off his handsome face. 

"Well since I'm quitting, I might as well tell you now." It was taking your all not to break into hysterics. You were afraid if you stopped talking you would. So you kept going. "When we worked together I daydreamed every _fucking_ day about you." You came closer to him, clenching your fingers together, your voice dropping lower. "I think I was obsessed with you. I wanted to marry you. I-I wanted to marry you and actually _be_ with you." You struggled to pick your next few words. Not knowing what else to do with all the energy, you gave him a shove before pushing him further against the desk, poking your index finger into his chest. "But you're _awful. You're fucking horrible._ I'm quitting. So rehire that fucking receptionist because I'm NOT taking that goddamn promotion. I don't ever want to see you ever again. You're ruined." 

Those hysterics that had threatened you seemed to leave. It left you calm, slightly warm with anger, simply standing there for a long moment, breathing heavily. The intensity of your gaze on Jack was becoming more than he could take. He opened his mouth to speak, sitting up on the desk and suddenly grabbed the back of your head, his fingers tangling in your hair. 

"You're _so_ fucking hot," he breathed out as he closed the space and kissed you, hard. 

The mask surgically grafted to his face was somewhat cool against your heated skin. You were going to pull away and he knew it. Just like before. His fingers tightened around your (H/C) hair as he switched positions forcefully with you, shoving you into the desk. Papers and pens went flying off of it as you struggled to get a grip on the wood so he couldn’t completely overpower you. It was getting harder to fight him with every second passing. To your horror your own words seemed to repeat in your head. You thought of all the times you wanted him—just like this, years ago. 

Between kisses on your neck, Jack growled out words. “You’re not gonna fucking walk out on me. Not this time. I’m not working any harder for you, no matter how much you seem to think you’re worth.” He was pushing you harder against the surface of the desk. The edge of it pierced into your back as a soft moan escaped you when he began to bite and suck. One of his hands went to the collar of your blouse, gripping it tightly as he continued. 

“I worked for this. I’ve murdered in cold blood for this. And I’d do it again and again—a hundred times over,” he sneered. “Don’t you dare act like you’re too fucking good for me. I’m a God. I can have anyone—ANYONE—I want! You’re not fucking above me.”

He chuckled into your ear, sending shivers down your spine and through your veins. Your fingers arched against the wood of the desk. With a skilled, experienced hand, he began to undo the buttons on your blouse.

”You need a taste of power like this. I should have brought you with me to the top. That’s the only thing I’d change about getting to where I am,” he told you. “So forgive me for that, baby. It’s something I never thought I’d want to share. I can give you a little taste. All you have to do is ask.” His finger traced over your jawline and you shivered under him. Jack leaned close to you again, dragging his tongue along your throat before kissing you again, deeply.

He swallowed another one of your moans as he managed to pop the last button on your blouse and rip it off you. He tossed it to the other side of the office. You wondered how many times he’d done this before. Countless, you had to guess. 

But for some reason that didn’t infuriate you. Instead all you could think was: _here I am._

“Jack...please,” you managed to choke out when his lips left your own, although you didn’t know what you were begging for anymore.

“What _really_ changed, huh? You said it yourself. You wanted me, and damn did you want me bad,” Jack continued. “And now here we are. Now I want _you_.”

"I never changed," you gasped. "You changed. I don't want you anymore. Don't you dare try and turn this around on me-"

He didn't stop coming onto you. He kissed up along the new, revealed portions of your throat, bit ting at your skin. His breath, his groans, were hot against you. The same hand he'd used to unbutton your blouse and strip it away from you shifted to your back. He was working at your bra now. Jack kissed you again. His forehead was against yours as he stared into your eyes and gave a bit of a smile.

"Want to know a secret? About all those years ago?" 

A soft exhale left your lips. It was shaky. You realized you were beginning to tremble.

"Even then I wanted you too." 

The last hook on your bra came undone. He pulled it away from you. He didn't have to tear it away like your blouse. You let him take it from you. You couldn't believe it, but you shifted your arms out of the straps to make it easier for him. Your hands went to your hips, to your skirt. Jack's hands crept on top of yours. He had stopped forcing you down. You shoved down the skirt and he smiled, genuinely. Thankfully, he didn't say anything to make you change your mind. 

His thumbs shoved under the elastic of your panties. You kissed him before he pulled away and pressed his lips to your chest slowly, picking his way down slowly. Your hands went to his belt and you undid it, somewhat sloppily. It'd been a long while since you'd had to unbuckle one. You shifted on the desk slightly, growing impatient, as he shifted his jeans down. Jack struck then, a flash of anger suddenly seeming to ebb from him.

"Don't fucking move," he warned you. 

His hips rocked against yours as he shoved you mercilessly and unnecessarily into the desk, bending you at an awkward angle. You couldn't stop the yelp of pain this time. But then again...he didn’t care and you didn’t either. All you cared about at this point, this far in, was feeling him, all of him. Exhilaration lumped through you and your legs trembled as you lifted them up. He pushed you up farther into the desk, practically on top of you. The wood creaked under your combined weight. Soft grunts escaped him as he worked you over, his hands on either side of your head. He moved one of his arms quickly to grab onto your thigh tightly and squeeze it before hooking your leg around his waist, spreading you wider for him. Pleasure thrummed through you with each of his strokes and you stopped bothering to bite back your cries. There was no stupid fucking receptionist to hear you outside those doors anyways.

You screamed for him as his hips ground against your own. You turned your head to the side, clenching your teeth, trying to outlast him. Jack quickly grabbed your cheek, yanking your face back, forcing your head up.

”No. Fucking look at me, baby,” he growled out between heavy breaths. “Only me.”

* * *

At some point you ended up on the floor with him. He had better sense than to try and keep going on that carpet--god knows how bad the rug burn would have been. Instead Jack was holding you close. His arms were around you, his chin nestled in the crook of your neck. His cheek was warm against yours. Strangely enough, your breathing seemed to synced with his as you laid there in his embrace. He'd draped his jacket over top of you and him, like a blanket. It gave you a bit of comfort. Jack's fingers stroked over your skin. 

A soft moan escaped you as you let him pull you closer. He stretched a leg over yours, kissing the side of your neck. "Tomorrow," he murmured in your ear, still a bit breathless. "You start tomorrow. I've already got...a bit of a job for you."

You just swallowed quietly and continued to lay there on the carpet, staring at nothing. 

The next morning, just like he promised, you still had access to the Hyperion building. You came in an hour early, just like Jack had instructed. You expected to feel some thrum of excitement in you, thinking he had something special planned for you. It was strange walking through that ghost of a building. It would be buzzing with life within the hour, you were sure. 

Just like Jack had told you, you showed up to his office. Taking a shaking step as you opened the door, you already knew something was horribly wrong. Because the old secretary was on the floor, bleeding and gasping, right at Jack's desk. You stared at him and he looked up at you with surprise. But you could tell he was happy you were there. 

"You're early," he told you, like nothing was the matter.

He walked over to you. He held his arms out and you didn't go into them. He clicked his tongue and lowered his arms again. He was wearing his jacket. 

"I'm just gonna try to show you something here. Just...just look." He lifted his jacket slightly and pulled his signature pistol from the waistband of his pants. He offered it out to you. You were petrified. You couldn't take it. "I'll help you. It's okay. It's okay, baby." 

Jack made his way behind you. He pushed his gun into both of your hands, giving you a bit of a shake. His hands crept over top of yours, holding them. He adjusted your finger on the trigger. For a moment he held you there, trapped. You shut your eyes tightly. He rested his chin in the crook of your neck. You could practically feel Jack's smile. 

"Pull the trigger, cupcake," he told you, his voice unusually soft with encouragement. "C'mon. It's easy. I promise. I'm doing this for you. For us. Don't act like you can't, sweetheart. Because you can. It's a matter of will and all that deep psychological shit. So, will you, or will you not?"

Your hands were shaking underneath his as he slowly forced you to aim the gun down. If the secretary's mouth was open in a scream, you couldn't hear it for some reason. You could just hear the blood pounding through your veins--in your head and your ears. You could hear your own breath, and murmurs no longer intelligible from Jack. You shut your eyes tighter. 

Other than the blood pumping, you could now hear the single gunshot. 

Jack's arms tightened around you. 

"See?" he told you, his words clear against the piercing static and your heartbeats. "Doesn't that feel good? She pissed you off--and now she's dead. Between you and me, you're a better fuck than her anyways."

Was this shock? You were going into shock. Were you about to have another nervous breakdown. Between the lack of sleep and the...was that blood on your hands? You didn't know if you were seeing it correctly, but the gun was dripping blood onto your hands. That didn't make sense, the secretary was a good few feet away from you. It should have only been spatter, it should have-

_Oh God. Oh God. Oh fucking God._

Jack kissed your neck. He was a fucking drowning man. You'd failed to see it before. You'd failed to see it up until this very exact fucking second. The most powerful man of all, sinking into the depths was quite the picture. But it was the truth. To your horror it made sense. Whatever possessed you caused you to lean your head back into his, letting him have you. 

He couldn't have been dragging you down with him if he wasn't already sinking first.


End file.
